Planning and conducting an aircraft flight requires knowledge of particular information in relation to airport facilities, weather and other parameters. For example, planning a flight requires knowledge of the (relatively stable) features of the aeronautical facilities that will be used, such as the position and the dimensions of the runways, or the frequencies of the radio beacons, and the position of the aerial points and paths defined by the control authorities. It is also essential to monitor changes that are temporary or more short-term, for example caused by maintenance operations, the weather or any other one-off event.
All of the necessary information is made available by way of databases, in particular navigation databases (NAVDB), and notices to airmen (NOTAM).
Managing NOTAM messages in existing systems entails limits and disadvantages. In particular, the navigation databases (NAVDB) are not integrated with the flow of NOTAM messages. The two systems are decoupled, i.e. are not integrated.
The pilot has to take note of the NOTAM messages and to take them into account when planning the flight and then executing it, but this is based only on his memory between these steps. He has to manage the NOTAM messages with his memory alone. Although inconsistencies resulting from the lack of integration do not generally pose problems in the nominal case (in which everything runs more or less as expected), a significant and/or emergency revision of the flight plan (for example during a diversion) may lead to the pilot forgetting or ignoring an important message. The consequences of such an oversight (involuntary) or ignorance (active, under pressure) may be catastrophic (e.g. landing on a runway undergoing maintenance). Not taking into account a NOTAM message may have serious consequences, possibly stretching as far as a violation or putting the aircraft in danger. There are therefore issues of aeronautical safety.
There is a need for advanced methods and systems for managing notices to airmen.